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Maury County Fair 2019

No matter where you find yourself in this country, you can probably find a state or county fair within driving distance during the summer. Amusement parks and fairs always trigger a since of nostalgia for me. When the fair came to my childhood hometown, I could see the lights from my front porch. I could not wait to ride the Ferris Wheel and take a bite out of a candy apple. Playing games and winning prizes was just as fun. I’ve always known fairs were centered around agricultural commerce in general, but I was surprised to find that religion was a huge part of this tradition from the very start. There’s evidence of fairs dating back to 500 BC. It appears that religion and commerce went hand and hand. In fact, fairs became a source of revenue for the church. The first North American fair took place in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1792 and the first US fair was held in Berkshire County, Massachusetts in 1811. Overtime, the religious aspect of the fair faded as the fair became more commercial. You can read more about the history here.

Fairs are always fun to shoot. They are basically a big light show. Colorful spinning, rotating and flashing lights can make some cool looking shots! Such shots are a must if you are shooting a fair, but I always love capturing the people more. From the attendees to the vendors and participants, the faces of the families, performers and workers tell the best story. I hope you enjoy the storyline created by my photos.

During the fair, I also took time to watch the motocross. I’m a huge fan of things that go fast. I used to own a sport bike, a.k.a “crotch rocket,” back in the day, and I drove a third generation twin turbo RX-7. Can you say “Zoom Zoom Zoom?” It’s amazing that I survived my twenties! While shooting the motocross, I met some great people including some of the participants. Below are some of my favorite shots from the day of the motocross. I have many more photos in by previous blog titled, “Motocross in Maury County.”

After I left the motorcross, I grabbed my tripod and headed over to the amusement park area. There was going to be a fireworks display and I wanted to be in position to capture the show. Not knowing exactly where the fireworks were going to be, I set up my gear near the Ferris Wheel. It was evident after the first explosion that I needed to move to get a better composition. In fact, the show lasted long enough for me to capture a few different compositions.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the photos. I certainly enjoyed capturing them! Kudos to the Maury County Fair and Exposition for another great fair. I hope the weather is a repeat for next year’s fair. If you like what you see and want to catch my next adventure, Like and Follow me at Shuttering Thru Life. Thanks for reading!